A battery cell has been proposed as a clean, efficient and environmentally responsible power source for an electric device such as an electric vehicle, for example. One type of battery cell is a lithium-ion battery cell. Typically, a plurality of individual lithium-ion battery cells is provided in a stacked configuration to supply an amount of electric power sufficient to operate the electric device.
The lithium-ion battery cells are known to generate heat during a charging and a discharging thereof. When overheated or otherwise exposed to high-temperature environments, the heat can impact the operation of the lithium-ion battery cells. A thermal management system is typically employed with the lithium-ion battery cells, as well as other types of battery cells, to militate against undesirable temperature conditions.
Moreover, as the lithium-ion battery cells charge and are discharged, they may expand, wherein such expansion is commonly known as battery cell swell. Battery cell swell can cause a change in a height of the stack of lithium-ion battery cells and to a compressive force being applied to the individual lithium-ion battery cells. Typically, a battery cell assembly includes a compressible component such as a foam layer disposed between adjacent battery cells, for example, to accommodate battery cell swell and maintain a desired height of the stack of the lithium-ion battery cells and a desired compressive force applied to the individual lithium-ion battery cells. Further, the compressible component also facilitates an accommodation of dimensional tolerances of the components of the battery pack assembly.
When such thermal management systems employ a fluid in a closed circuit as a medium for heat transfer, a complexity of the thermal management system is undesirably increased. A plurality of seals must be employed and maintained between a plurality of components of the thermal management system employing the fluid. Further, as a result of the plurality of seals and the plurality of components, a pressure loss through the system is increased, resulting in inefficient heat transfer to or from the battery pack.
To provide such thermal management systems and compressible components, a complexity of the battery pack assembly is undesirably increased. A plurality of machined or injection molded components forms at least a portion of the battery pack assembly. Accordingly, a cost of the battery pack assembly is undesirably increased.
It is desirable to produce a thermal management system for a battery pack having a thermal fin and a conduit, wherein the thermal fin and the conduit are formed using an extrusion process and a weight and a cost of the thermal management system are minimized.